Accountability of `corrupt` elements in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa remained in the limelight during the outgoing year. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB), which is the prime federal anticorruption institution, and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ehtesab Commission (KPEC), the top provincial anti-corruption body, were seen engaged in vigorous drives of arresting public office-holders, including the government servants as well as politicians.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa wing of NAB, functioning under the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999 has been actively pursuingcases of corruption and arresting individuals in this regard. Similarly, KPEC, which is set up under the KPEC Act, 2014 started arresting people in April 2015 and since then has taken into custody several notables on the charges of corruption and misuse of authority.

Apparently, a competition is going on between the two bodies each trying to outclass the other.

KP NAB is having edge over the KPEC due to some constitutional provisions which give preference to a federal law over a provincial one.

Under the KPEC Act, the Ehtesab commission could not interfere in an inquiry or investigation already started by NAB.

Comparing the two bodies, the KP NAB had arrested two former provincial ministers, Syed Mureed Kazim of Awami National Party (ANP)and Mehmood Zeb of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), whereas KPEC had arrested a sitting minister, Ziaullah Afridi of Pakistan TehreeleiInsaf (PTI) who was subsequently removed from cabinet and his party membership also suspended, and ex-provincial minister Liaquat Shabab of PPP.

Furthermore, the Ehtesab commission`s director general had also issued arrest warrants for former provincial minister and sitting Senator Sitara Ayaz. However, she could not be arrested due toarestrainingorderissuedbythe Peshawar High Court. She had also levelled allegations against an official of the commission in the investigation wing of victimising her as he was allegedly settling some personal vendetta with her.Mureed Kazim was arrested by NAB on Aug 3 and was later set free on ball by the high court.

The NAB alleged that he in connivance with the officials of revenue department were involved in illegal transfer of valuable state land measuring 1,976 1(anals in DI Khan as alternate land to the Naval Families Rehabilitation Organisation (NFRO) in 2010 and subsequently unlawful transfer of 182 kanals residential land to officers /officials of revenue department in kickbacks. It is alleged that as a minister he had overstepped his authority as it was the domain of the chief minister to allow the said summary regarding provision of alternate land to NFRO.

Similarly, Mehmood Zeb and nine other coaccused were arrested on July 9 on the charges of inflicting losses of Rs355.2 million to theexchequer while awarding lucrative mining contract to a female school teacher. He was denied bail by the high court.

One major arrest made by NAB in 2015 was that of Syed Masoom Shah, a former special assistant to then chief minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti, on the charges of possessing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income. By end of the year, the NAB had accepted his plea bargain in return of Rs258 million of his ill-gotten wealth. His case has now been in final stages and after fulfilling certain legal requirements he would be released by the accountability court.

In April 2015, the KPEC started its activities by first arresting a district coordination officer of Kohat, Noor Daraz Khattak, along with several other persons in a land scam. Noor Daraz is the father of PTI MPA from Karak, Gul Sahab Khan. He was subsequently granted interim bail by the high court.

Afterwards, the commission arrested Liaquat Shabab on the charges of possessing illegal assets. He was also released on bail by the high court.

With the arrest of Ziaullah Afridi the commission landed itself in hot waters as its credibility was questioned by him even in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly.

However, different judgments of the high court came in favour of the commission helping to improve its image. Ziaullah Afridi, who was arreste d on multiple charges of misusing his authority as minister of mines and mineral development, was denied bail by the high court as well as the Supreme Court.

The two bodies had also arrested several government functionaries.The NAB had arrested two former vice-chancellors of Hazara University, Prof. Ihsan Ali (presently serving as VC of Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan) and Dr Syed Sakhawat Shah and six other persons on the charges of giving affiliation to an illegal medical college. They were granted bail by the high court in the case.

Furthermore, the bureau had arrested around a dozen persons, including some bureaucrats, on the charges of embezzlement of funds to the tune of Rs100 million through ghost/ substandard development schemes in districts of Mansehra and Tor Ghar.

Prominent among those suspects were: Dr Ambar Ali, a DMG officer of BPS-19 who was serving as additional secretary atthePlanningandDevelopment Department; Zulfiqar Shah, a DMG officer of BPS-19 serving as director general Independent Monitoring Unit (IMU); Mohammad Aslam Rafique, a deputy director audit; Maqboolur Rehman, an accountant; and sub-engineers Mohammad Raziq and Azhar Jalil.

The Ehtesab commission hadalso apprehended owner of private Iqra National University, Obaidur Rehman, on the charges of buying a precious land at Hayatabad Township in Peshawar from Peshawar Development Authority at throwaway price. He was released on bail by the high court.

Perhaps, the social welfare department remained the prime target of Ehtesab commission as several of its serving and former officials were arrested, while warrants were also issued for arresting the then minister for social welfare Sitara Ayaz.

Prominent among the arrested persons were: chief child protection officer, Dr Murad Ali; ex-additional secretary Noorullah; former director social welfare Imtiaz Ayub; exdistrict social welfare officer Afsar Khan, former administration officer Nisar Mohammad; ex-district social welfare officer Insafur Rehman; and several others.

They were arrested on multiple charges of corrupt practices and misuse of authority. Looking at the performance of these two bodies, the accountability drive in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is far ahead than the otherprovinces.